Frictional gearing for street-cars



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' G. B. BRAYTON.

FRIOTION'AL GEARING FOR STREET CARS.

No. 476,243. Patented June '7, 1892.

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3Sheets-Sheet 2.

Patented June 7, 1.892.

G. B. BRAYTVON. PRIGTIONAL GEARING FOR STREET CARS.

4 M 4 i I 7 m A (No Model.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

G- B. BRAYTON.

.FRICTIONAL GEARING FOR STREET CARS. No. 476,243. Patented June '7, 1892.

STATES PATENT Fries.

FRICTIONAL GEARING FOR STREETCARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 476,213, dated June '7, 1892.

Application filed November 6, 1891.

To all whom/it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE BAILEY BRAY- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Friction-Clutches for use on Street-Oars and other Lik'e Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in friction-clutches designed to produce differential motion in street-cars and other like vehicles; and its object is to provide frictionclutches that may be connected with the motor of a car while running at full speed Without producing concussion. I accomplish this object by use of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of the bottom of a street-car, showing my friction-clutches and part of the operating-engine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the lower part of the car. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section of my frictionclutches and connected parts, taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.. Fig. at is a detail plan section of my device, taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail section of a friction-plate and the parts adjacent to it, taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig.6 is a detail plan view of the lever and registering sector. Fig. 7 is a detail elevation of a friction-plate with the diaphragm removed. Fig. 8 is a detail section of the piston and tube.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, 12 is the engineshaft. This is formed with the bore 13 of, say, five-eighths of an inch in diameter.

14 is a tube of a diameter somewhat less than that of the bore of the shaft.

15 is a piston secured on the end of the tube and fitted at each end with packing 16, cup-leather being preferred to make the pistons fit air-tight in said bore. Around this piston is cut the annular groove 17. From the end of the bore in the tube the aperture 18 is made outward, opening into the groove.

19, 20, and 21 are gear-Wheels of different diameters meshing with the like Wheels 22, 23, and 24 of diameters corresponding inversely with the former diameters. The former gear-wheels are secured loosely on the engineshaft. Thelatter are arranged on the counter- Serial No. 411,055. (No model.)

shaft, and may be seen red thereto either rigidly or be supplied each with a ratchet to secure them to theshaft. The latter method is preferred, because thus secu red only the gears in actual use will revolve.

I have elected to illustrate my invention as connected with a Brayton hydrocarbon-engine, which is of well-known construction. 25, then, is the tank for compressed air used in connection with such engine. 2615 a pipe leading from this tank, and 26% is a flexible tube connecting an end of the pipe with the outer end of the sliding tube 14. Adjacent to each of the gear-wheels 19,20, and 21 there is an apertured disk 27, fitted upon and screwed to the engine-shaft. To the face of each disk a diaphragm 28, of rubber or leather, is secured by the rings 29, screwed to the disks at their outer and inner edges. 30

represents friction-plates, each equal in area to the area of the exposed surface of one of the diaphragms. Each of these plates is formed with the notches 31 in its periphery. It fills the space between agear-wheel, a diaphragm, and a pair of rings. Lugs 31% are formed on the rings to fit in the notches in the plates. Thus the latter can be made to revolve with the disks 27 and atwisting strain upon the diaphragm be prevented. Channels 32 are formed continuously through the engine-shaft and each of the fixed disks leading from the bore of the shaft to the back of each diaphragm. 33 is the valve which admits air from thetank into the pipe 26. This valve is open all the time when theengine is running. 3i is a lever employed to move the sliding tube. It engages with the notched dial-plate 35, which is marked and secured to the car, so that it will indicate the position of the grooved piston in relation to the chanels 32. Now, moving the lever till grocve 17 communicates with the first of the channels, compressed air will rush through the tube 14, the aperture 18, and the channels 32, and its impact against the diaphragm will distend this in the direction of the gear-wheel, the diaphragm thus being made to force the plate 30 against its adjacent gear-wheel. Thelugs and notches in rings and plate Will preventthe latter from yielding to friction with the gear-wheel, and hence when the pressure hecomes sufficiently great the latter will begin to revolve and to cause a revolution of the corresponding gear-wheel on the countershaft. The aperture 18 is made so small that air will enter the channels 32 so slowly that no shock will follow the action of a frictionplate against a gear-Wheel.

It is obvious that by the use of this mechanism the air-pressure can be so applied that the gear-wheel will be started to revolving slowly. When the full speed of the first gearwheel has been attained, the piston can be moved inward and air be let into the second of the channels 32 and the adjacent gearwheels be started in like manner, and so may be started the third and other gear-wheels successively if three or more be found necessary. Whenever the piston is moved inward, so that its groove no longer communicates with a channel 32, the air behind the diaphragm just in use will escape through the channel into the bore of the engine-shaft, which is open to the atmosphere, thus releasing diaphragm and friction-plate from pressure. It will be found that a very small volume of air will be necessary in each instance to start the action of a friction-plate, because there is so little space between these plates and their respective adjacent gear-wheels.

I have hitherto produced differential motion by the use of friction-plates; but I did so by the use of levers actuating such plates by being connected with them directly.

WVhat I new claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. of the United States,is

1. In adevice for producing differential motion, the combination of a hollow drivingshaft having channels leading outward, two or more gear-wheels of different sizes located loosely on the shaft, disks secured on the shaft, one adjacent to each wheel, formed each with a channel leading from its inner edge and opening near the middle of its inner face, a diaphragm secured on such face, and a loose friction-plate between each disk and gear-wheel, as and for the purpose stated.

2. In a device for producing differential motion,the combination of a driving-shaft formed with a central bore and channels leading from this through one side, a tube designed to let compressed air into the shaft and keep it filled with the same, two or more gear-wheels of different sizes located loosely on the shaft, disks secured on the shaft adjacent to these, formed with channels designed to be continuous with those in the shaft and opening near the middle of the inner face of the disk, a diaphragm secured on each such face, and a loose friction plate located between each wheel and diaphragm, as and for the purpose stated.

3. 111 a device for producing differential motion,the combination of a driving-shaft formed with a central bore and channels leading out from this one way, a sliding tube of less diameter than that of the bore, a-piston secured on the end of this, formed with an annular groove around it and with an opening leading from the inner end of the tube out to the groove, packings secured on the ends of the piston to make it fit air-tight in the shaft, two or more gear-wheels of different sizes located loosely on the shaft, an equal number of disks keyed to the shaft adjacent to the wheels, formed with channels connecting with the channels in the shaft and opening midway in the face of the disk, adiaphragm, and a loose friction-plate located adjacent, respectively, to disk and gear-wheel, as and for the purpose stated. 1

4-. In a device for producing differential motion, substantially as described, the drivingshaft 12, the tube 14, the piston 15, the Packings 16, the disks 27, the gear-wheels 19 2O 21, of different sizes, located loosely on the shaft, the diaphragms 28, secured to the disks at their periphery, the friction-plates 30, located loosely between disk and gear-wheel, the lever 34:, arranged to slide the tube, the pipes 26 and 269,-, communicating with the air-tank 25, and the gear-wheels 22 23 24, corresponding inversely in size to Wheels 19 2O 21 and keyed to the countershaft 37, as and for the purpose stated.

GEORGE BAILEY BRAYTON.

Witnesses:

JOHN T. DONAHOE, E. O. CRAWFORD. 

